It's the news that has sparked a social media storm and media controversy in the U.K not seen since the vote to leave the European Union and it's all to do with buns.
The BBC, which is funded by a compulsory license fee, has lost the contract to broadcast "The Great British Bake Off" – one of its biggest ratings and money winners – to a competitor after protracted negotiations with the show's maker failed to produce a new deal.
Negotiations between the BBC and the show's makers, Love Productions, have been going on for a year but on Monday evening it was announced that no deal had been reached and that the the program would be moving to commercial broadcaster Channel 4 next year.
In its seven seasons, "Bake Off" has become a national obsession, clocking up viewing figures that were higher than major sporting events and talent shows. The 2015 final show attracted a record audience of 13.5 million viewers, according to the BBC.
The show features contestants from the general public baking cakes, pastries and breads in different "challenges" each week testing their technical knowledge and creativity and trying to impress the judges, celebrity bakers Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry.
Dave M. Benett/Getty Images
Paul Hollywood, Mel Giedroyc, Mary Berry and Sue Perkins of 'The Great British Bake Off'
The seventh series is currently airing on BBC 1 and its loss to Channel 4 in 2017 will be felt by the cash-strapped corporation. The show's formula has proven popular worldwide and the British version of the show has been sold to almost 200 countries or the format adapted by other countries. In the U.S., the show is called "The Great British Baking Show" and aired on PBS.
The Telegraph newspaper reported that Love Productions, which is 70 percent owned by Sky, was seeking a fee of £25 million a year from the BBC to hold on to the show, more than four times the current amount it currently pays. Love Productions announced Monday night that it had signed a new three-year broadcasting contract with Channel 4 instead.
In a statement released on Monday, the BBC said it had worked with the production company to nurture the program and create "the huge hit it is today" but that its resources were not "infinite."
"We made a very strong offer to keep the show but we are a considerable distance apart on the money," the BBC's press office said in a statement. "The BBC's resources are not infinite." The corporation added in its statement that it hoped that Love Productions would "change their mind so that Bake Off can stay ad free on BBC One."
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